Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, Merry Christmas

Greetings! In the off season, I continually am scoping new ideas, colour schemes and crafty ways to make each wedding unique and wonderful, and ensure each wedding is unlike any before it. I also celebrate numerous occasions with my friends and family. Weddings are my true passion, but special events in general excite me to the point of throwing a bowl of pistachios across my office because I can't physically contain how elated I am that there is a holiday coming. My favorite of these occasions is Christmas.

As a young child I would start counting down the days until Christmas after my second favorite holiday (Halloween) was over. There are numerous family traditions that I am hoping to pass on to my daughter - as I think we had it pretty good growing up and these magical times I had with my sisters are too special not to pass on. The traditional gingerbread house, NOT from a kit, opening a gift on Christmas Eve, the annual "wifesaver" breakfast, and going to Heritage Park to take in the old fashioned feel of Christmas and have Brookie shop for us in the "Kids Only" store, never in my life have I been so excited to unwrap a gift. In the spirit of not making Brooke's life a carbon copy of mine, I have also started some traditions of our own. Her first year as a baby I was fairly poor and all I could afford for her was a hardcover copy of "Auntie Claus". I wrote a heartfelt message to my newborn baby and the tradition has held each year for me to give her a new Christmas book with a message from her mom telling her all the things I am proud of her for.

Our Christmas cards each year are a photo montage of our family, dogs included and we have our good friend Chelsea from Shutterbird Photography snap some casual family photos. This year is our first Christmas in our new home and I was so excited to not have to deal with Christmas in a condo - but to have a full yard and home to decorate to my liking. Our living room is colour coordinated with purple and red and last year during Boxing week, I snapped up decorations to match this theme, I must say - our tree is one of the most beautiful trees I have seen!

Picking out our first real Christmas tree (thank you IKEA)

Ginger Josh, Brittany, Brookie and Maeby (and angel Dexter up on the roof!)

Our chance to pet a real reindeer at Heritage Park, I was more excited than Brookie I think!

My little girl writing her letter to Santa on Christmas Eve

And of course he wrote back!

Brookie checking out our lights

Santa was good to us!

We hosted Christmas morning breakfast, this was our simple centerpiece created with pomegranates, chestnuts, greenery from our dying tree and cranberries.

The cherple (mini version of cherpumple) I baked to finish off Christmas dinner. So good!

Tobogganing with Brookie was a fun way to start the holidays!

I hope that you and yours have a wonderful holiday season, whatever way you like to celebrate and whatever traditions you decide to integrate, and do know, that these traditions stay in a child's heart for the rest of their lives, as my Christmas memories are some of my very happiest. Love to you and yours this season and all the best in the New Year! xo Brittany